


Vacation Is Not All He Ever Wanted

by nerdistheword



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Day At The Beach, M/M, Vacation AU, insecure baz, mischevious simon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-09 23:19:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17414450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdistheword/pseuds/nerdistheword
Summary: Tyrannous Basilton Grimm-Pitch doesn’t know how to fucking relax.They’re all at a lovely beach, the sun is shining, the water is sparkling, and Baz looks like he’s sitting uncomfortably close to a smelly person on the train. All tense shoulders and legs tucked together, hands clasped in his lap. Even his expression is all scrunched up in more general distaste than usual.Penny and Micah are swimming out in the water, splashing and laughing and flirting. Simon was hanging out with them, but when he glanced back at the beach, he saw his boyfriend sitting despondently under the umbrella, his shirt and shoes still on, lanky body tucked up onto a towel.(The gang is at the beach and Baz is determined not to enjoy himself. Simon has other plans)





	Vacation Is Not All He Ever Wanted

Tyrannous Basilton Grimm-Pitch doesn’t know how to fucking relax.  
They’re all at a lovely beach, the sun is shining, the water is sparkling, and Baz looks like he’s sitting uncomfortably close to a smelly person on the train. All tense shoulders and legs tucked together, hands clasped in his lap. Even his expression is all scrunched up in more general distaste than usual.  
Penny and Micah are swimming out in the water, splashing and laughing and flirting. Simon was hanging out with them, but when he glanced back at the beach, he saw his boyfriend sitting despondently under the umbrella, his shirt and shoes still on, lanky body tucked up onto a towel. Agatha is a few yards away, laid out in the sun on a towel of her own, eyes closed peacefully behind her large sunglasses.  
Simon returns to the shore, shaking water from his bronze curls and coming to stand in front of Baz, purposefully dripping water onto his grey feet. Agatha opens one eye at them, then closes it again, uninterested.  
“You wanna come swim? The water feels great.” He says, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his back.  
Baz glares at him, scooting out of the splash zone of his sopping boyfriend. “How could I swim when you brought the whole bloody ocean with you, Snow.”  
Honestly, most things today are a pro rather than a con for Baz. His snarkiness isn’t totally justified.  
The beach is beautiful, and the water does look nice to swim in. And Simon Snow in nothing but swim trunks and a smile is a thing to behold, truly. Tawny skin glowing in the sun, water sprinkled over it like someone placed individual diamonds among his freckles and moles. And Crowley, his eyes and hair are just radiant against the water and in the sun. But that’s the problem.  
The sun.  
The sun usually only bothers Baz in the mornings, mostly because he doesn’t like mornings. He supposes his eyes are just more sensitive to it than most people. You know, people who don’t have to drink blood to survive.  
And that’s just it isn’t it? Baz and the fucking sun. He can wear sunglasses to take care of the eye sensitivity, but there’s just something about his skinny, lifelessly grey body being shown off in this sunny paradise that makes his insides twist and squirm anxiously.  
He can see Bunce and her American boyfriend out in the water, their skin vibrant in the sun, two complementing shades of brown. And then there’s Snow, whose name does not match his skin tone at all. Simon looks like sunshine itself is beaming out of him. Even Wellbelove has more color than him.  
Baz looks like a sad black and white film character next to them. He looks like he hasn’t seen the light of day for twelve years. He looks like a fucking vampire.  
Which is why he hasn’t left the shade of the umbrella or taken off his shirt since they got here. He didn’t partake in the building of the small sandcastle city a few meters away from the umbrella, and he didn’t help Micah and Penny bury Simon in the sand. (Which had been a hilarious activity, as Simon’s wings and tail and squirming made it twice as more difficult than it should have been.)  
The truly sad thing was, they were alone on this particular stretch of beach, and even around his boyfriend, who had giant red dragon wings and a fucking cartoon devil’s tail, Baz felt like the freak. Bunce wouldn’t judge, Baz knew that. And although he didn’t know Micah all that well, he seemed like a nice person. And Simon never cared about it after he realized Baz wasn’t going to drink all his blood and kill him. In fact, Simon thought Baz’s fangs were “wicked” and never seemed to mind his greyness.  
Baz is the one holding himself back, and he knows it. But he can’t quite bring himself to push himself out of his own head and just enjoy the holiday at the beach.  
Simon plops down on the dry sand beside Baz’s towel, still in the sun. “You okay?” He asks, squinting at Baz in a mixture of concern and the sun in his eyes.  
Baz pretends to be totally indifferent. Insecure? Him? Of course not. He’s a Pitch. He has magic and fire running through his veins, he is totally not feeling like he should have just stayed at home.  
Reaching around him to grab a water bottle from the cooler, Simon drips more water onto Baz, dampening his shirt a little. He smells like saltwater and sunscreen and that delicious sweet brown scent only Baz can pick up with his enhanced sense of smell.  
“Stop dripping on me, Snow.” Baz snaps.  
In response, Simon rapidly shakes out his hair like a dog, spraying water everywhere. Baz should have expected that.  
“You should come swim.” Simon insists again, cracking open his water bottle and taking a long swig. “Then we could have enough people for chicken fights.”  
Baz rolls his eyes and sneers a little. “What are you, twelve years old? Why don't you just ask Wellbelove?”  
From her sunny spot, Agatha enunciates a firm "No."  
Simon doesn't acknowledge Agatha, just shrugs. “We're on holiday. So pull the stick out of your arse and come play.”  
“I don’t have a stick up my ass, Snow. I just don’t feel like getting a sunburn.”  
Simon tilts his head to the side in thought. “Can vampires get sunburn?”  
Baz doesn’t know, he just knows he doesn’t want to leave the safety of his spot under the umbrella. He doesn’t want to see his sickly pale chest in comparison to Simon’s golden one.  
“Just put on sunblock and come out for a swim. You can swim, right?”  
“Yes, I can fucking swim. I just don't want to.” Baz says, crossing his arms over his chest. He actually does want to swim. Even in the shade the day is warm, and a dip in the cool water would be pleasant.  
Simon tugs on the sleeve of his tee shirt, smiling that infuriatingly pretty smile. “C’mon. Before the tide goes out.” He climbs to his feet and takes Baz’s hands, trying to pull him up. Baz makes his body go limp, refusing to move.  
Simon let’s go of Baz’s hands after a few more useless attempts at getting him to stand, but in no way does he give up. He’s going to get Baz to enjoy this holiday, whether Baz wants to or not.  
He has a vague idea of what’s got Baz all worked up. He knows that sometimes, Baz hesitates taking off his shirt around Simon. But Baz is beautiful and he deserves to have fun, so Simon isn’t going to let his insecurities ruin that.  
So it is with the best intentions that Simon walks down to where the waves lap onto the shore and takes a huge glob of wet sand. Baz is too busy brooding to see it coming, and is helpless to stop Simon as he slaps the wet sand onto Baz’s perfect raven hair and scrubs it in like shampoo.  
“SNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!” Baz shrieks, swatting Simon’s scheming hands away. He can feel water dripping down his neck and back, feel the grittiness of the sand on his scalp.  
Simon dusts sand off his hands and smiles brightly at Baz. “Come swim. I think you have a little sand in your hair.”  
Baz’s eye twitches, and that’s the only warning Simon gets before he lunges for him—a snarled “You’re so dead, Snow”—and then Simon is shrieking and running towards the water, Baz hot on his tail (literally).  
Simon giggles maniacally as he gallops into the water. Baz is right behind him, swearing and promising to kill Simon as soon as he gets his hands on him.  
They reach Penny and Micah, and Simon darts behind his best friend and uses her as a human shield against Baz’s wrath.  
“Hey Simon, Baz.” Penny greets them nonchalantly, raising a brow at Baz’s sandy head. She doesn’t need to ask what happened. Micah struggles to hold back from laughing at the situation. He hasn’t seen Baz since third year when he transferred to Watford, and while he doesn’t know exactly how or why he and Simon got together after years of rivalry, he can’t argue that their back and forth as a couple isn’t entertaining.  
“Bunce, if you would kindly move aside so I can drown my boyfriend, it would be much appreciated.” Baz says through his teeth, glaring daggers at Simon, who ducks lower behind Penny’s shoulder, still giggling.  
Penny shrugs and wades away from Simon, knowing that Baz wouldn’t hurt him for the world. The worst Baz does is splash Simon in the face and curse at him a few more times.  
“You are unbelievable, Snow.” Baz grumbles, running his hands through his hair with water to try and get rid of the sand embedded in the dark waves.  
“Yeah, but I got you out here.” Simon points out. Baz realizes that he’s waist deep in water, and his annoyance grows.  
“And you accuse me of plotting.” He grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. Now that he’s in the water, there’s no point in going back, even if it does let Simon win. At least he still has his shirt on, since his dignity was left on the beach.  
Simon floats onto his back and let’s his wings splay our around him, an extra balance. “See, Baz? This is fun!” He says too loudly, water filling his ears.  
Out of spite, Baz presses his hand to Simon’s forehead and pushes him underwater. He comes back up sputtering and swearing, but it’s worth letting it happen to see Baz smile for the first time today.  
After wiping the water out of his eyes, Simon starts chanting “Chicken fight, chicken fight, chicken fight,” until the others give in.  
Micah laughs and kneels in the water to let Penny climb onto his shoulders, and Simon aims his bright smile at Baz until he lets him get on his shoulders.  
Simon’s warm, muscular thighs around Baz’s neck make his annoyance at being forced into the water lessen just a little. And he feels a twisted satisfaction when Simon inevitably gets knocked over into the water by Penny (she is relentlessly cunning, even in something as simple as chicken fights).  
Eventually, they tire of playing and return to the beach to dry off and eat lunch. Simon devours three sandwiches Penny packed just for him, and he coaxes Baz to eat in front of Penny and Micah and Agatha.  
And Crowley, Baz wants to be pissed at Simon. He wants to exact revenge and put sand in his hair, and make fun of the way seaweed is clinging to his tail. But Simon looks like a sun god, water droplets in his stubby lashes catching the light and skin just glowing in the sun. And he’s smiling and laughing and he’s Simon Snow. Baz just wants to kiss him.  
Simon sees Baz looking at him and smiles through the food in his mouth (revolting) and then takes Baz’s hand in his. Simon’s hands are pruney, and gritty sand is pressed between their palms.  
Simon doesn’t let go for the rest of the day. They go swimming again, and he holds onto Baz. They have a bonfire on the beach, wrapped in blankets and towels and roasting wieners. Baz uses his magic to start the fire, but his free hand stays in Simon’s.  
At some point, Simon bumps his shoulder against Baz’s to get his attention.  
“What is it, Snow?” Baz asks softly. The stars are out and the ocean is silvery and soothing. The group is bathed in firelight. Penny is taking about some obscure magical fact with Micah, who hangs off her every word.  
“You finally having a fun holiday?” Simon asks, half-smiling at Baz. He earnestly waits for an answer. He’s been desperately trying to get Baz to have fun. Starting swimming races, finding sand dollars and hermit crabs underwater, starting a game of football (which was harder than expected on account of the sand).  
Baz is caught off guard, realizing that he stopped being miserable a good while ago. Like always, Snow is a glorious distraction from his own thoughts.  
He’s had fun, which he never expected to happen when Simon and Penny said they were all going to the beach. He thought the whole day would be him being miserable under the umbrella, but Snow dragged him out and made him participate and he hasn’t thought about his bitter insecurities since then.  
He leans down and presses a short kiss to Simon’s lightly sunburnt cheek, right on a mole there. He pulls back to gaze at the boy he loves, and he can’t help the genuine smile that breaks on his face. Simon grins back, already knowing the answer.  
“Yes.”


End file.
